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Report: U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan
Reuters | 9/28/01

Posted on 09/27/2001 9:46:57 PM PDT by kattracks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. special forces have been in Afghanistan for two weeks searching for Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the airborne assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, USA Today reported on Friday.

Citing unidentified senior U.S. and Pakistani officials, the newspaper said U.S. commandos arrived in Pakistan on Sept. 13 -- two days after the attacks -- and began moving into Afghanistan with orders to capture or kill the Saudi-born Islamic militant, or pin him down until the United States can launch air strikes.

Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke refused to comment on the front-page story. The Pentagon was not making any comment on operations, she said.

Officials have said the U.S. "war on terrorism," declared after the terror attacks on New York and Washington in which nearly 6,500 people are dead or missing, would be an unconventional battle in which commandos could play a key role.

The newspaper, citing Pentagon officials in Washington and Pakistani military officials with direct knowledge of the operations, said U.S. special operations forces had landed in the Pakistani cities of Peshawar and Quetta.

Teams of three to five soldiers, supported by Black Hawk MH-60K helicopters based outside Afghanistan, began deploying into the country to locate bin Laden, concentrating their searches in caves and underground bunkers in southwest Afghanistan near Kandahar, the newspaper said, citing senior U.S. and Pakistani officials.

USA Today said the elite troops were having trouble finding bin Laden and had asked other nations for intelligence help.

Quoting U.S. officials, it said several elite military units were involved in the effort to find bin Laden, including the Army's Green Berets, Navy SEALS and the British Army's Special Air Services.

Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited.


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
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To: section9
The downside? We have to leave the opium poppy crop alone.

Thats not really a downside since it is just maintaining the status quo.

81 posted on 09/28/2001 4:42:31 AM PDT by Straight Vermonter
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To: kattracks
A lot of good intelligent replies on this article!

My take, but just a hunch:
We're there.
BEEN there.
Are checking out MANY places, not only for OBL, but for as many of his henchmen in Afgh.
AND identifying and locating as much as his "out of Afgh." people as possible.
Monitoring movements and communications inside and outside Afgh (to and from).

I wouldn't be at all surprised to someday find out that OBL could have already been "taken out" a dozen times.
Don't forget: As the old expression says: "we have bigger fish to fry" - The more careful and reasoned the prep for action, the more of his, and other, terrorist groups can be taken out - wherever they are.

82 posted on 09/28/2001 4:50:12 AM PDT by GVNR
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To: FreeFly
You're right.
83 posted on 09/28/2001 6:22:04 AM PDT by ScreamingFist
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To: HiTech RedNeck
"I don 2 inches of tinfoil for this one. Not until we have a pretty good idea where Osama is, will we go after him."

You people crack me up. Do you really think all those sudden northern alliance victories were just some kind of fluke? And no, our forces aren't just staggering around the country side hoping to run into bin laden. There is a wealth of info available about how special force teams operate, researching some of these will give a clearer view of what is actually going on. And yes, they've been there since day two.

84 posted on 09/28/2001 6:32:35 AM PDT by ScreamingFist
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To: Frankiedi
Do not expect more precision in the bombing in Afghanistan than in Iraq, expect less precision. There was ground guidance for the Allies in Iraq, just as there is in Afghanistan. (Special Ops people, with night vision, and with "burst" radios).

The main difference between Iraq and Afghanistan will be the kind of bombs used. This time, there will be far fewer TV-guided, computer-controlled, missiles/bombs, because there aren't as many targets that can be clearly identified from the air. This time, we will use more low-tech weapons, like the Blue-82, our most powerful non-nuclear weapon.

Also, in war the term "innocent civilians" loses some of its meaning. The Afghais put Taliban in charge and have left them in charge -- just as the Germans put Hitler in charge and left him in charge. The only pure victims in this are the children -- that, unfortunately, is always true, in floods, hurricans, riots, wars, you name it.

But as far as adults are concerned, we are responsible for our governments. If our leaders are stupid, incompetent or vicious, we can get killed as a result. Shall we refer to Bill as "camel-butt Clinton" because he fired a few missiles at bin Laden, riled him up, and then quit? Now, we have reaped what he sowed.

It is time, now, for Taliban, al Qua'eda, Hussein, Gaddafi, and all others around the world who support mass murder of civilians, to reap what they have sown.

As for the Special Forces report, I knew that. It was a no-brainer that this war began two weeks before the lamestream press got wind of it. The Gulf War was a made-for-TV war. This one definitely is not. No more Nintendo. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Got that New York Times? Got that Washington Post? Got that Brocaw/Jennings/Rather?

The (More er Less) Honorable Billybob,
cyberCongressman from Western Carolina

Click here for Billybob's latest, "Bush is DEAD Wrong.

Click here and go to "ALCU Watch" for "The Law of War," a detailed legal discussion of how the US declares war, both historically and in this instance.

85 posted on 09/28/2001 6:45:32 AM PDT by Congressman Billybob
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To: dalebert
The military leaked it. It's just common sense to realize that these guys were probably there within 18 hrs, if not sooner, of when it happened. That's what they do.
86 posted on 09/28/2001 6:50:43 AM PDT by stuartcr
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To: jlogajan
Special Forces do not leave thier bodies behind.
87 posted on 09/28/2001 6:53:31 AM PDT by stuartcr
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To: HiTech RedNeck
Did you read with care the official deployment list that the Defense Department released? There were two or three "Space" command units involved. The process is simple. We have already moved satellites into position for regular and infra-red photography and for listening to all transmissions.

Unless all the terrorists in al Qua'eda have a) stopped all communicationss, and b) ceased giving off heat from engines and body heat, we have a pretty good idea where they are, now. Next will come the Blue-82s to "soften up" the targets. (Imagine a frog in a blender.)

I'm a hi-tech redneck, myself. Remeber the line from Jack Nicholson as The Joker in Batman II, "Where DOES he get those marveloous toys?"

Congressman Billybob

88 posted on 09/28/2001 7:00:36 AM PDT by Congressman Billybob
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To: LarryLied
Bush is doing nothing. It is all a con.

Oh yeah! Another armchair general weighs in with advice. Comfortable in your easy chair with no knowledge of what is going on, its easy to scream for action. Perhaps you'd like to see us nuke Kabul. And then after Pakistan falls to the resulting revolution, we can figure out how to handle terrorists with Nuclear weapons. Oh and don't forget the world's outrage over our killing a million innocent people.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was followed by MONTHS of quiet preparation. The Gulf war took MONTHS to get troops and equipment into place. We started this effort two and a half WEEKS ago. Let's be a little realistic in our expectations. You'll get your war. You'll get your body count. You'll get your flag-draped coffins. Just be patient.
89 posted on 09/28/2001 7:13:43 AM PDT by Tin Man Tex
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To: Lady In Blue
I can't say what I would do because it is politically incorrect. We're done. Everyone will get it eventually.
90 posted on 09/28/2001 7:23:31 AM PDT by LarryLied
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To: kattracks
the Saudi-born Islamic militant

I see Reuters has adopted the "terrorists" do not exist policy.

Maybe we should adopt a "Reuters" does not exist policy.

91 posted on 09/28/2001 7:30:05 AM PDT by P-Marlowe
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To: Tin Man Tex
The attack on Pearl Harbor was followed by MONTHS of quiet preparation. The Gulf war took MONTHS to get troops and equipment into place. We started this effort two and a half WEEKS ago. Let's be a little realistic in our expectations. You'll get your war. You'll get your body count. You'll get your flag-draped coffins. Just be patient.

Amen!!!

92 posted on 09/28/2001 7:33:04 AM PDT by carton253
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To: TERMINATTOR
Let's go for VICTORY through annihilation of ALL of our enemies. Then, God can dispense justice!

I'm not ready for WWIII, but after the mass murders that were committed on 9-11, I think a solid ass kicking is definitely in order. Be ready though, this will be a protracted conflict with many Americans sacrificing their lives in defense of freedom and liberty.


93 posted on 09/28/2001 8:08:01 AM PDT by Reagan Man
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To: Int
Wonder who leaked this? and why?

One of the oldest principles of warfare is to hand your enemy a series of unsolvable dilemas: Damned if you do, Damned if you don't type decisions.

The natural reaction to this report for the Taliban will be to begin "beating the bushes" in their rear areas in an attempt to locate these stealthy recon teams. That takes a lot of manpower, manpower that will not be available to oppose the Northern Alliance.

While all this distraction is going on, the Northern Alliance will be receiving a major infusion of logistical support and begin to make dramatic territorial gains.

94 posted on 09/28/2001 8:08:13 AM PDT by Tallguy
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To: okie01; jwal
Thanks. I missed the senior officials bit when I read the article too quickly before blasting away.
95 posted on 09/28/2001 8:12:05 AM PDT by Torie
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To: Deb
Re 66.

Go sit on it deb....

96 posted on 09/28/2001 3:10:29 PM PDT by griffin
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To: Psalm 73
Re 80.

Better get a seat before you vapor lock there...just passing along info that our government MIGHT not be giving us.

Primarily for all those are chair generals who think we should send in our boys to fight these maggots. No more American lives should be given up for these worms. Whip most of them out with nucs and clean up the rest later. They are human garbage.

If you and Deb want to control a web site, develop your own....when I then visit you can tell me what you'd like me to do...until then, discuss things like nice civilized sheeple.

97 posted on 09/28/2001 3:15:40 PM PDT by griffin
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To: HiTech RedNeck
I was making a clarification on the abilities and requirements for a rapid deployment force of conventional infantry....having myself, spent time in such a force as an officer.

In fact there will be NO conventional forces on the ground "over there." SpecOps guys who WILL be tramping around won't be in the least bit lost or even a 'mite bewildered. They'll know exactly where they are going and what they are about! DEATH FROM ABOVE!

98 posted on 09/28/2001 3:56:15 PM PDT by ExSoldier (Formerly GunsUp!)
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To: griffin
If specops are in there and can track Osama down with the help of Northern Alliance, etc. it might be worth it. Our friends have ways of making him talk... helping us root out his extensively connected terrorist network... and the American people will not want an "Ashcanistan" holocaust which would also tilt our sizable domestic contingent of Muslims even further towards wanting to harbor and foster terrorists, rioters, etc. to "get back" at us. Bush is speaking softly and wielding a big stick, just like the Republican Teddy Roosevelt used to do.
99 posted on 09/28/2001 4:12:55 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck
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To: kattracks
and the sun rises in the East, so what is news here?
100 posted on 09/28/2001 4:25:53 PM PDT by PatrioticAmerican
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